Michael Cimino Shocked by Homophobic Comments From His Own Family Over Gay TV Role
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The 'Love, Victor' actor opens up about the hateful comments he received for playing a gay man and reveals some of the criticisms came from his own family.

AceShowbiz - Actor Michael Cimino has been shocked by some of the hateful messages he's received for playing a gay teen on TV drama series "Love, Victor" because some are from his own relatives.

The 21 year old portrays a high school student struggling with his sexual identity in the "Love, Simon" spin-off, and he knew he would face some homophobic backlash for taking on the part as a straight man in real life.

"I've definitely had some criticism from the LGBT community for being in the role," Cimino told Britain's Attitude magazine, admitting a few remarks have crossed a line.

"I've had death threats, which is horrible. But the show is important to me. The messages of hate - I came into it knowing that would happen, regardless of how good I was."

However, some of the more hurtful messages have come from those Cimino least expected. "I got some homophobic comments - I kind of expected that to happen," he said. "I didn't expect it from my own family members, though."

Despite the negative responses, Cimino stands behind his support for the LGBTQ community.

"There's nothing wrong with being gay. That ignorance is often something that's been passed on from generations prior," he shared. "I always approach that (by saying), 'These are normal people that are struggling and they shouldn't have to struggle.' "

"It's an honour to play Victor, and a big responsibility," he explained. "I went in with the pure intent to represent that correctly. I held myself to a really high standard to make sure everyone going through this story felt represented by the show."

And he's even managed to persuade some critics to relax their stance on the important topic.

"I have changed opinions," he said. "I had some friends who are religious and they've changed their perspective on things."

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